The BBC has announced John Motson will retire at the end of the season following his 50th consecutive year with the corporation.

Motson, one of the most distinguished football commentators in English football history, has covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals.

"I've absolutely loved my time commentating for BBC Sport," Motson told the BBC. "I've been fortunate enough to witness some of the biggest moments in football history mere yards away from the action, so I've really been very lucky."

Motson has provided the soundtrack to some of the most vivid and romantic moments in English football, and his breakout was maybe Ronnie Radford's leveller in Hereford's 1972 FA Cup giant-killing triumph over Newcastle.

Every club has their favourite Motson moments and United are no different. United managed just three trophies over a 22-year period following the 1968 European Cup panacea and Motson was present for those three Wembley wins.

Jimmy Greenhoff vs Liverpool, 1979

A Scouser slit one United supporter's chic leather jacket outside Goodison Park but he said he didn't care, for Jimmy Greenhoff had nodded United into their third FA Cup final in four years.

United, clad in their immortal white Admiral strip, drew 2-2 with Liverpool at Maine Road four days earlier and faced the European Cup winners again on Merseyside, where Motson was commentating. Greenhoff denied Liverpool the treble at Wembley two years earlier, where a United banner read 'Watch out, there's a Greenhoff about'. Liverpool didn't watch out.

It is known as the 'Five-Minute Final' and it did not have a happy ending for United supporters. They were 2-0 down to Arsenal with four minutes remaining when Gordon McQueen halved the deficit to give Dave Sexton's side a glimmer of hope, before the last Busby Babe Sammy McIlroy shone as brightly as the Wembley sun.

United supporters are spoilt for choice when it comes to Whiteside's Wembley winner 32 years ago. The magisterial Brian Moore 'Whiteside's onside' commentated for ITV while Motson was in the adjacent gantry for the BBC.

Kevin Moran had become the first player to be expelled in an FA Cup final and Ron Atkinson had moved Frank Stapleton to centre half when United engineered a breakaway down the right.

"Strachan is following up, Olsen's on this side. That's all he's got... Whiteside shoots, IT'S THERE! Norman Whiteside... has done it again!"

United's first double was on the brink of collapsing after Oldham took an extra-time lead at Wembley through Neil Pointon. Alex Ferguson's side had experienced a wobble in recent weeks, with defeats to Chelsea and Blackburn bookending two draws against Swindon and Arsenal as Kenny Dalglish's Rovers crept up on them in the Premier League table.

Desperate for a leveller against Oldham, a teenage Nicky Butt angled a header towards the 18-yard area in the final minute of extra-time which Brian McClair lofted speculatively into the penalty box. Mark Hughes charged past two Oldham defenders and spectacularly rifled a volley while leaning backwards.

Ferguson was never going to react well to a question about a man who months earlier had stamped on Gareth Southgate’s groin and Keane was also dismissed just four games into the season at Blackburn.

It’s not quite as volcanic as the time Ferguson was asked about Wayne Rooney’s suspension for shoving Tal Ben Haim 10 years later but United doyen Michael Crick recounted the incident in his phenomenal Ferguson biography.

Ferguson: "Well, John, you've no right to ask that question. You’re out of order. You know full well my ruling on that. Right, that's the interview finished."

Ferguson then walked out of the shot.

"I don’t want to f*****g watch it! Cancel it! F*****g make sure that does not go out! You know the f*****g rules here!"